10. Maya #2
“And what does that mean, exactly? The mating heat?” I asked for clarification, my voice rougher than I realized. I could hear Ledger let out a sound from the back of his throat that made my skin break out into shivers, but I was luckily able to ignore it enough to focus on her important words.
“Besides the obvious?” She laughed slightly and then sighed.
“It means that your phoenix is going to try to mate with them. You are going to be viable to produce children. The first time may or may not result in that, but the following times each year after are almost always successful, until your phoenix and you have decided that you have produced enough children. Considering your extended life span?—”
“Extended life span?” I questioned, feeling suddenly anxious.
“Yes. You already have a regenerative quality that can’t be taken away, but it will be given to your mates as well, making all of you essentially immortal,” she explained softly.
My lips popped open at that piece of information, finding myself secretly thrilled at the notion that nothing bad could happen to my mates or me.
Well, it wasn’t that nothing bad could happen, but they would be okay on the long-term spectrum.
Letting out a shaky breath, I looked towards Marco but couldn’t find anything to say.
If I was truly a Blue Phoenix, it didn’t seem like it was the worst thing in the world, considering the queen of the realm was one as well. A small amount of pride at the concept of being special like that surged through me, making me feel worthy of my mates for the first time ever.
But then why was the doctor so worked up? Why did my boys seem so tense?
“Do you have extra clothes?” I asked softly, and Doctor Bates seemed to jolt from some internal thoughts.
She easily made her way across the room and opened a closet, pulling out a plain black dress that matched the one that she was wearing herself.
I took it and held it against my chest, the large blanket that I’d been wrapped in serving as a small block from my nudity.
She pointed towards a door as the others talked, Marco seemingly insistent on something.
I slipped into the bathroom, finding my skin slightly ashy and hair messy, but my face looked flushed, and my chest felt relaxed and at peace.
It was moments like this that I wished I was stronger. Like Jordan.
Instead, I found myself wondering if there was a way to avoid going to meet the queen.
It wasn’t that I wanted to, but the concept of being something different and that being highlighted always made me nervous.
Plus, hadn’t Croy said it was only possible to be a Blue Phoenix if the individual was from the royal line of the Dreki realm?
Well, that didn’t make any sense at all.
Brushing my hair back, I walked towards the door, hearing an upkick of voices and feeling nervous at some voices I didn’t recognize.
“We already have it planned for tonight,” Marco said smoothly.
Doctor Bates shook her head. “I’m sorry, Commander Moretti, but this is far too important.”
My eyes flashed towards the soldiers that were standing near the door, making me feel very flighty and uncomfortable.
“We should just go and get it over with,” I pointed out, everyone’s head snapping towards me. Surprise seemed to cross some of the faces of the guards as the one near Doctor Bates made a noise of interest.
“Well, the resemblance is uncanny,” he said easily. Doctor Bates shot him a scowl, an action that had him smiling down at her. I wasn’t fantastic at reading people, but I could feel the underlying tension between the two of them easily.
“I don’t like this,” Henry muttered.
Seeing their indecision, I realized this was a moment I needed to say something, because for the first time ever, my mates needed a level of direction. I knew they didn’t want me to be uncomfortable, but at the same time, it didn’t seem like this was much of a choice.
“I want to meet her. Let’s do this,” I confirmed, even though I was still terrified.
Doctor Bates motioned for me as I found the shoes I’d been wearing before, suddenly glad that I’d slipped them off. My hands twisted in front of me as I followed her towards the door, my mates following behind me, Marco running his fingers along my lower back in a soothing motion.
“We don’t have to do this.” Marco sounded almost anxious and it made me worry, something I tried to not show.
I felt far more shaken up than I would like to admit, and Doctor Bates’s insistence and eagerness to get to the queen only enhanced it.
A slight tremble worked through me and my skin heated, my throat feeling thick as my fingers fidgeted.
What was so important that we had to meet the queen now?
Why did it make it far too real to do that?
I hadn’t realized I’d never responded to Marco until his hand intertwined with mine, pulling my attention. Speaking softly, I kept my eyes on Doctor Bates and the way she walked with the one guard up ahead, the two of them talking in whispered tones that I couldn’t hear.
“We do have to do this.” I squeezed his hand. “We came here for answers and she’s been helpful so far, so if she thinks we need to meet with the queen now, then I say we trust that.”
Marco muttered a curse under his breath before he inhaled sharply and nodded. “I don’t disagree with you, baby girl. Just remember that no matter what happens, we can always leave. We can leave this place and ignore whatever we learned here.”
I examined his face, noticing a string of panic there.
He was as uncomfortable, if not more uncomfortable, as me with all of this.
As a pair of massive doors loomed ahead, I paused and wrapped my arms around Marco, burying my head in his chest and whispering ‘I love you’ as he wrapped his arms fully around me.
The low rumble that he let escape from his throat had me relaxing.
I was finding that I truly considered this man my safe place.
“This is bullshit.” Henry’s voice was edged with a dangerous tone despite his words being under his breath. I turned my head, noticing that the two up ahead had stopped, clearly waiting for us.
“Let’s just get it over with,” I confirmed, attempting to be positive.
After a sharp nod, I moved forward with my mates behind me. An odd sense of calm infiltrated everything as I rolled my shoulders back, trying to straighten myself and be more confident. I needed that. I needed that inner strength.
The gold doors up ahead opened after a sharp nod from the guards that lined the space.
Immediately, sunlight flooded the hallway, and my eyes moved across the marble and gold room to the glass-domed ceiling that presented a stunning blue sky and gold clouds above.
It was indisputably gorgeous, and distracting enough that I didn’t even notice how crowded the room was.
I didn’t notice the large amount of guards that lined the sides of the room or the people that seemed to hover throughout.
Almost immediately, we drew attention, and my fear and nervousness began to fade despite being the center of attention.
A weird sense of calm filled me as the familiar scent of ash mixed with flowers filled the space, my skin lighting up with heat as we passed through the doors.
My phoenix began to flutter in my chest, and I nearly let out a sound from her but managed to keep my lips pressed together as we continued to examine all the eyes on us.
Beautiful people filled the room, dressed in an assortment of whites, golds, and jewel tones that seemed to only add to the luxury of what I imagined most throne rooms were modeled after.
The music quieted at my arrival, and everything seemed to pause, my eyes finally making it up front.
That was right about when true shock slammed into me, making me pause in my step as emotion flooded my throat.
The woman standing in the front of the room was undeniably the queen in the question, that much was clear. But more than that… she looked just like me.